The horrifying picture of a ‘slow-motion prepare wreck’ has been round for many years — to the purpose that it’s turn out to be a well-worn cliche. However nowadays, because the U.S. and the world expertise quite a few types of social and environmental collapse, it happens to me that now is an ideal time to deeply study the ‘slow-motion prepare wreck’ concept and what it signifies.
Right this moment is an particularly applicable time to discover what’s taking place to us, all of the witnesses and/or unwilling members, as we discover ourselves caught in such an ongoing, intensifying ‘prepare wreck.’
The factor is, pictures like ‘slow-motion prepare wreck’ turn out to be widespread for a motive — and that’s as a result of they mirror and ‘seize’ a grim, scary actuality. But, as famous, we’ve gotten used to the concept and barely take note of it anymore. “Yeah, yeah, one other day, one other ‘slow-motion prepare wreck’… who offers a crap anymore?!”
However in our present dire circumstances, I believe such cavalier dismissiveness works towards us and prevents us from coming to grips with what we’re going through. Plus, there are a number of minor ‘prepare wrecks’ that the media deal with and exploit, day after day — however they infrequently contact on or examine the HUGE, intensifying ‘prepare wreck’ engulfing our nation and our world.
The environmental motion turned… a colossal failure
Any sentient, well-informed particular person is now conscious that our social and pure worlds have gone critically awry. Most of the optimistic social and environmental actions of the final 50 years at the moment are in tatters, and the progress they initiated is being swiftly undermined and even reversed.
This is applicable to areas as various as racism, voting rights, social justice, environmental points and degradation, the sixth extinction, and the ‘biggie,’ intensifying local weather change. The sick, unhappy fact is that, whereas the environmental motion achieved a number of preliminary successes (improved air and water high quality come to thoughts), over the previous 30 years it has more and more failed on a worldwide scale.
As well as, overpopulation and over-consumption are nonetheless accelerating, everywhere in the world. Yearly, we add 70–80 million new human beings, and concurrently, we’re nonetheless increasing (through incessant advertising) human expectations of larger ease, consolation, and the wonders of ‘mass consumption.’ It’s a traditional case of an unstoppable pressure — human overpopulation and over-consumption — slamming into an immovable object: the bounds and ‘legal guidelines’ of the pure world we dwell in.
Or maybe, I shouldn’t name pure limits and ‘legal guidelines’ immovable — since we people ARE shifting them, to a level, and never in a great way. Or… are we?
Our collective actions are altering the whole local weather of the planet, true, and have set in movement a collection of profound modifications and environmental collapses. Nevertheless, these ecological shifts are the direct results of the collision between human actions and our planet’s pure ‘legal guidelines’ and steadiness — and it’s exactly due to these immutable ‘legal guidelines’ and ecological realities that the local weather IS altering quickly.
In different phrases, we’re not shifting the goalposts or altering the foundations. Nature and her ‘legal guidelines’ are successful — and can at all times win such an absurd, damaging contest. We puny people are not any match for the mixed powers of the pure world surrounding us.
No, science and know-how received’t ‘save us’
Given all the above crises and looming collapse(s), it’s protected to say that we — humanity as an entire, and particularly denizens of the U.S. — are now ‘caught’ in an unlimited slow-motion prepare wreck/catastrophe. It’s a terrifying and all-consuming spectacle encompassing politics, our societies, morality, our economies, nature, and lots of tens of millions of different species.
To proceed with the prepare wreck metaphor, we’re ‘caught’ on a quick observe to sure destruction. But, amid all this chaos and constructing calamity, most of us keep on with ‘enterprise as common.’
Most of us are in big-time denial, and are simply hoping towards hope that someway science and know-how will ‘journey to the rescue’ and miraculously save us.
Nevertheless, science and know-how won’t and can not save us. Our misguided religion in science and know-how is definitely one of many nice limitations to human progress and transformation. Why? As a result of it locations all the facility exterior of us and makes us depending on some imagined future ‘breakthrough’ that can (supposedly) do the trick and save us.
That’s utter nonsense. What might save us is a deep dedication to human progress, consciousness, slowly decreasing our world human inhabitants, and reducing our voracious ‘mass consumption.’ However, as you’ve in all probability seen, we’re doing none of these issues and have NO want or will to take action. The reality is, we’ve irredeemably screwed ourselves — and our planet.
Photograph by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash
We additionally face an INNER ‘prepare wreck’
The place does this tsunami of horrible information and knowledge go away us? The infinite, horrifying conundrum posed by all this chaos leads us straight to the internal facet of our slow-motion prepare wreck. Our common reactions typically embrace a number of of the next internal states (singly or in ‘clumps’):
* Worry
* Denial
* Rage
* Despair
* Deep unhappiness
* Hopelessness
* Despair
* Avoidance
* Terror
* Feeling completely helpless
* Desirous to run — but realizing there’s nowhere to run to
* Fury
* Extra worry
* Extra despair
What we’re confronted with, now, is the last word internal process of steadily shifting from ‘collapse consciousness’ to break down acceptance. That is the nice internal problem we’re going through, collectively, and it’s already clear that almost all of us will by no means embrace or search this acceptance.
Somewhat, the overwhelming majority of us appear destined to wallow in an ever-changing miasma of the above-listed emotional reactions. Worry. Rage. Denial. Terror. Avoidance. Extra denial. And so on. However none of those internal states is fascinating, long-term, and none of them can feed our souls or assist us navigate these attempting occasions.
What’s going to heal us and feed our souls?
So, what will work? What can feed our souls and assist us plan and act intelligently?
I need to admit, up entrance, that I’m not typically capable of entry full ‘collapse acceptance.’ I, too, expertise the each day run-through of darkish, unfavourable feelings and reactions. And the way can I or we not react, given all of the loopy crap, nonsense, and terrifying information we’re uncovered to each day?
But, I’m clear that I don’t need to keep ‘caught’ in such darkish, painful reactions, even when our society IS dashing down a quick observe to hell. I don’t need to stay ‘caught’ and depressing, even when I’m trapped in the course of a slow-motion prepare wreck I’m powerless to cease.
I would like my psychological well being again, dammit. I would like my internal equilibrium and religious well being again. I refuse to have my internal life and internal steadiness destroyed by the idiotic selections, habits, and practices of others.
Shifting past a depressing life that’s at all times ‘at impact’
I would like my psychological well being again. Which may be essentially the most profound and troublesome concern going through these of us who’re ‘collapse conscious.’ Is such an internal renewal even attainable at this time?
To this point, I’ve to say: whereas attainable (and I do know it’s, since I’ve skilled it in small doses or glimpses), it appears to be terribly troublesome to achieve that place and keep there greater than very briefly. The internal and outer challenges we face are SO daunting that coping with them successfully, and in ways in which honor and assist our humanness, will be each irritating and deeply disturbing: “Wait. Whaat?! Am I supposed to simply ‘quit’ on humanity? Am I supposed to simply settle for all of the horrors and madness we’re inflicting on our planet and one another?”
No, these darkish ‘options’ are additionally no good. In some way, the reply — if there’s one — has to lie in between complete acquiescence to the horrors of collapse and infinite internal resistance to those horrors. In fact, neither acquiescence nor internal resistance will change our near-term future or shift our path in a significant means. (Outer resistance, within the type of social or environmental activism, could assist in some small methods — which is much better than nothing. But it surely’s additionally no ‘answer’ to our intense internal and outer conundrums.)
What can we do when there are NO ‘options’?
More and more, it seems that there are not any ‘options.’ This being the case, maybe the one factor left that I can deeply have an effect on is my very own psychological state and internal well-being. If neither motion nor inaction can essentially alter humanity’s path, anymore — nicely, I’d as nicely purpose for true acceptance and elevated happiness.
If all I actually have, and might have an effect on, is my very own internal life and close-by social world… then why not do every little thing in my energy to ‘transcend’ (not run from) our collective prepare wreck?
Why ought to I let an unlimited assortment of fools, power-hungry idiots, and ‘consumption addicts’ dictate how I dwell, really feel, and react? Why ought to I hold giving them that energy?
These are the questions that hold my spirit alive and rising throughout this tumultuous and horrifying time. I’ve no definitive ‘solutions’ — however I’m open to discovering or creating them. I’m maintaining my thoughts and coronary heart open to therapeutic and internal transformation.
Maybe I’ve stimulated the same resolve in you, expensive reader.
Finish be aware: There are a number of useful on-line teams devoted to ‘collapse consciousness’ and acceptance. I can personally advocate a program I’ve been concerned with for some time, the Dwelling Resilience on-line program (livingresilience.web). It’s sponsored by a really expensive and deeply caring soul, Dean Walker, and gives an ideal discussion board for exploring these points and challenges.
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This publish was beforehand printed on MEDIUM.COM.
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Photograph credit score: iStock.com
The publish Silent Screams: We’re Caught in a Gradual-Movement Prepare Wreck appeared first on The Good Males Venture.